The Granite Mountain Hotshots got their start as a fuels mitigation crew for the city of Prescott. They would go and clean up and clear brush and burnable materials making the likely hood of large fires less so.
They then transitioned to a type 2 hand crew by 2004. Soon after the crews Superintendent Eric Marsh fought for the team to become certified as a Hotshot crew.
Marsh had become frustrated about the crew’s role or relative lack there of on numerous fires, In 2008, after a bit of a struggle the crew earned the distinction as the first municipal hotshot crew in the nation.
Hotshots are small crews of elite wildland firefighters trained to fight fires directly, and in remote back country terrain with limited resources limited by only what they can carry or have air dropped in when available.
The Yarnell Hill Fire
Started near Yarnell, Arizona was one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires since the 1991 Oakland Hills fire. Ignited by dry lightning on June 28, 2013. This is when a thunderstorm rolls through an area but drops no rain with it. Two days later on June 30, it overran and killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Only one of the the crew members survived, posted as a lookout for the crew when he was forced to evacuate his own position due to fire activity, he was not with the others when the fire overtook them. His Instagram
McDonough hiked out on foot when he was located by Brian Frisby, superintendent of the Blue Ridge Hotshots, who was monitoring the radio communications of McDonough and his crew. Frisby and McDonough moved the Granite Mountains crew vehicles to a safer location. During this time is when radio communications were lost.
After moving the vehicles, Frisby and members of the Blue Ridge Hotshots attempted to rescue the Granite Mountain Hotshots, but were forced back by the fire. Driving through the streets of Yarnell, the Blue Ridge Hotshots was able to evacuate several residents who had failed to evacuate. At approximately 4:42 p.m., the fire overtook the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
The Yarnell fire killed more firefighters than any incident since 9/11, is the sixth-deadliest American firefighter disaster in history, and the deadliest wildfire ever in the state of Arizona.
The tragedy is primarily attributed to an extreme and sudden shift in weather patterns, that caused the fire activity to rapidly increase and cut off the firefighters route as they were escaping. As well as the terrain surrounding the escape route, which may have blocked the crews view of the fire limiting their situational awareness and problems with radio communications.
The Workout
My department/crew had a couple of members that worked very closely with the Grainte Mountain Hotshots that helped them along their path to gaining their certification. So this fire hit close to home for us.
Crews always have there own ways of remembering those they have lost and ours was always workouts. Crossfit has a long history of dedicating workouts to those deserving of it and the Granite mountain 19 are no exception. Though I had not seen one until checking again recently I am not sure when this work out was dedicated to them.
You can find more info and scaling info HERE
- 6 Rounds For Time (Goal of < 40 Minutes)
- 30 Air Squats
- 19 Power Cleans (135/95 lb)
- 7 Strict Pull-Ups
- 400 meter Run
With a running clock, as fast as possible perform 6 rounds of the work in the order written: 30 Air Squats, 19 Power Cleans, 7 Strict Pull-Ups, and then a 400 meter Run.
Score is the time it takes to complete the 6 rounds.
Movement Standards
Strict Pull-Ups: Begin with your hands on the pull up bar just outside your shoulders, arms fully extended. Without any help/momentum from the lower body (no kip), pull so your chin gets higher than the bar. Complete at full arm extension.
Good Score for “Hotshots 19” (estimated)
– Beginner: 35+ minutes
– Intermediate: 30-34 minutes
– Advanced: 25-29 minutes
– Elite: <24 minutes
The reps may seem arbitrary but every number has significance.
June 30th — 6 rounds/30 Air Squats
19 hotshots — 19 Power Cleans
7:40pm — 7 Pull-Ups / 400m Run
It’s not about finishing or times or records, it’s about enduring the struggle. No matter what hurts, no matter how strenuous. It’s nothing compared to what the fallen and their families have gone through.
I have no one to do the work out with anymore so if you do the work out tomorrow, lets compare our times.